Cambodia airports hit new milestone

PHNOM PENH, 16 January 2019: Cambodia’s
three international airports reported passenger traffic reached 10.6 million in
2018, based on data provided by VINCI Airports, the French-owned company
operating international airports in Cambodia.

Monitoring passenger traffic moving through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports the company said traffic grew by 20.1% when compared with 2017.

Cambodian airports hit the 10 million-passenger
milestone on 18 December for the first-time, according to parent company Vinci
Airports’ CEO Eric Delobel.

“Connectivity
and synergies between the three airports have significantly contributed to
bringing in more and more passengers to Cambodia,” he said in the company
statement.

VINCI Airports, which has run the country’s
international airports since 1995, through its subsidiary Cambodia Airports,
said passenger traffic doubled over the last five years.

The company reported it has initiated an
ambitious investment programme and contributed to the modernisation and
expansion of Phnom Penh airport’s runway to support the increase in passengers.

Cambodia Airports communications and public
relations director Khek Norinda told the Phnom Penh Post, Monday, that the
attractiveness of Cambodia as a destination for leisure and business was the
key driver for air traffic demand.

“It is the result of our strategy for route
development and for connecting our three airports to more destinations,” he
said.

In its annual report VINCI Airports said
its three airports in Cambodia delivered a strong upward trend throughout the
year.

But in the fourth quarter 2.9 million passengers travelled through the three airports (17.1% more than in Q4 2018), pushing the full-year figure past the 10 million-passenger mark for the first time ever to reach 10.6 million.

It represented a 20.1% year-on-year increase. These figures reflect an upsurge in demand from China and Thailand, and the fact that eight new routes were opened.

Growth was especially brisk in Phnom Penh
(up 27.9%), which cleared the 5-million passenger milestone to reach 5.4 million
in 2018.

The town, home to the UNESCO Angkor
Historical Park, saw a growth in traffic from Japan, Korea and Europe

Sihanoukville International Airport saw the biggest increase in passenger traffic, with traffic growing 92.6%, last year, to reach 651,000. The high growth rate was due to a small passenger traffic base in 2017.

Sihanoukville is emerging as a popular
tourist destination, especially for visitors from China and gamblers from
neighbouring countries. The coastal town has more than 18 casinos.